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Grand-Boucan
For the third communal section "Grand-Boucan" of Mirebalais, click here. Grand-Boucan is a commune in the Baradères Arrondissement, in the Nippes department of Haiti. As of the 2015 census, the population was 5,815, making it Haiti's least populated commune. ]] About Grand-Boucan is a seaside hamlet located across the Baradères Bay from Petit-Trou-de-Nippes, on the Bec-à-Marsouin peninsula, which is part of the larger Tiburon Peninsula, and inhabited by fishermen. The houses are covered with thatch formed of a type of broad leaf that does not catch fire. The fabric is primarily composed of vegetable asbestos. The inhabitants fish in boats made from the hollowed out mango trees. These boats are called bois fouié. The harbor is always calm and quiet. When the north winds blow, so deadly in these parts, the boats going to Jérémie will take their anchorage here while waiting for the return of good weather. The sparkling, jewel-toned Caribbean Sea can be seen from the center of town, and the sight of the fishermen carrying their nets to the beaches conveys the importance of this aquacultural activity that puts food on the table for many Haitian families living there. The view of the city from a sea vessel, bobbing off the coast, inspires awe with its breath-taking mountain peaks set against a Caribbean blue sky, unlike no other in the world. The nearest large cities are Les Cayes and Jérémie. Grand-Boucan, a town based on tradition, contains a largely Catholic community. Other practicing faiths are Protestant and Vodun. History Once a part of Baradères called "Eaux Basses", Grand-Boucan is one of the country's newest and smallest towns, incorporated in 2003. It is located at the Baradères Bay, an arm of the Gulf of Gonâve. The sea provided the fishing hamlet with the resources that sustain it today. Because of the sea, Grand-Boucan was always a fishing hamlet. In the past, Grand-Boucan was part of Baradères' Bégouin communal section. • In 1876, General Agenor Débrosse offed himself after being forced to evacuate, before the superior forces of government, the fort Baradères he had occupied for several days. • In 1883, the inhabitants of Grand-Boucan were suspected of agreeing with the insurrection of Boyer Bazelais in Miragoâne, General H. Piquant bombarded the hamlet. In 1888 he still saw intact thatched roofs on the ground, while the houses they covered had disappeared in the fire set on fire by the bombing. • In 1882 and in 1890, there was a strong question in the House of erecting it as a 5th class commune (municipality). The rural sections that would depend on it would be: Bégouin, Grandes-Anses, Basses, Pornic Island and Roche Pier. In 1890, the Minister of the Interior, Saint-Martin Dupuy, fought the bill presented for this purpose. Geography According to the IHSI, the commune has a total land area of 44.49 square kilometers (17.18 square miles), of which 30.91 km² (70%) is rural, 8.63 km² (19%) is suburban, and 4.95 km² (11%) is urban. Grand-Boucan ''' is split into to two communal sections, Eaux Basses and Grand-Boucan, and a district.1 Grand-Boucan is a tied island connected to the mainland by a natural tombolo, effectively a peninsula though often referred to as an "island". Grand-Boucan is connected to the city of Baradères The town is surrounded by the Gulf of Gonâve to the north, Canal de La Gonâve to the east, Baradères Bay to the south, and Baie des Garçons to the west, all of which lead directly into the Windward Passage and the Caribbean Sea. The town is essentially divided into a main portion and Eaux Basses, just west of the main portion of town across the western side of the peninsula. The area along the east side of town, namely '''Ville de Grand-Boucan, is the most densely settled part of town. There are several beaches along the coastline, the largest being Victoria Beach, which lines the northwestern coastline on the Baie des Garçons, across from the Cayemite islands. Grand-Boucan is just one of three towns out of the 145 communes in Haiti (along with Anse-à-Galets and Pointe-à-Raquette) that only touches one other town by land (Île-de-la-Tortue and Île-à-Vache do not). Only touching a 400-yard portion of Baradères by land, the water rights of the commune also touch those of Petit-Trou-de-Nippes and Pestel in the Grand'Anse Department. Both by land and by sea, Grand-Boucan is the northernmost commune of the Nippes Department. The town is centered 135 km (84 miles) " as the crow flies" west of Port-au-Prince, 43 km (26 miles) north of Les Cayes, and 56 km (35 miles) west of Jérémie. The commune has no state routes of any kind within it's borders, one of fifteen in Haiti that share that distinction. The nearest state route is Route Departmentale 204, within Baradères. The nearest highway is a portion of Route Nationale 2 in Cavaillon. The nearest airport to town is Les Cayes' Airport. Demographics In the town, the population was spread out with 47% under the age of 18. For every 100 males, there were 89.1 females. Climate Grand-Boucan has a tropical climate, according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, Most months of the year are marked by significant rainfall. The short dry season has little impact. This climate is considered to be Am. The average annual temperature in . Grand-Boucan is 26.3 °C (79°F). The average annual rainfall is 1394 mm (55 inches). Economy Grand-Boucan's surface is uneven, although farmers found the soil arable for growing coconut palms and mango. Made of rocky soil, this town does not produce much. The only real resources of the population are charcoal production and fishing. But seafood products are, according to fishermen, increasingly rare. Not having enough fishing equipment, they are engaged in the search for sea cucumbers, a market that has developed in the region. "Formerly, we sold a sea cucumber 5 gourdes, today the dozen is 150 gourdes," said fishermen. "The unrestrained fishing of this species is slowly causing it to disappear. The whole coast was full of sea cucumbers, "said Fritz Vladimir Désil, teacher at the national school of the town, adding that today fishermen have to go to the bottom of the sea to find this seafood now very sought after in the commune. Other local productions include sweet cassava, potatoes, sugar cane, yams, masoko, bananas & plantains, watermelons, potatoes, fresh, salted and dried fish, carets and scales. Infrastructure Grand-Boucan is one of the few communes where no inhabitant has a motor vehicle; which is understandable, because there is no road connection between Grand-Boucan and the other communes of the department, nor real streets in the town. Animals are the main means of locomotion of the inhabitants of this commune. Typical of many small communes in Haiti, what few roads exist are unpaved. Unless one has a four-wheel drive--and most residents do not--the roadways are difficult to navigate--even on foot. Grand-Boucan is a special town, where it can only be accessed by sea. However, its port is underdeveloped. , Haiti]] Utilities Freshwater is scarce and is collected from the holes of stones. Neighborhoods GB100.jpg GB101.jpg gb103.jpg gb104.jpg gb105.jpg gb106.jpg gb107.jpg gb108.jpg gb109.jpg gb110.jpg gb111.jpg gb112.jpg gb113.jpg gb114.jpg gb115.jpg gb116.jpg References / Links Haiti Observer: "Town Of Grand-Boucan In Haiti" - http://www.haitiobserver.com/blog/tag/nippes-department/town-of-grand-boucan-in-haiti.html ''"C'est moi qui l'dis" - http://congolivier.blogspot.com/2009/12/nwel-nan-mornes-1-grand-boucan.html Michael Vedrine Category:Baradères Arrondissement Category:Nippes Category:Communes with 1 neighbor Category:Commune's with 0 routes